


So Much To Be Thankful For

by Half



Series: Pull Me Out Of The Dark [2]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, short sequel to the professors AU, thanksgiving oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2017-11-23
Packaged: 2019-02-05 21:43:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12802998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Half/pseuds/Half
Summary: Sequel oneshot to Pull Me Out Of The Dark.It's Thanksgiving approximately eleven years later for college professors Nicole and Waverly.





	So Much To Be Thankful For

“I didn’t know you had that good of an arm, Professor Badass.”

Nicole Haught spins the football in her hand and frowns as Wynonna Earp pats her hard on the shoulder and runs past her. “Haven’t we talked about not calling me that?”

“Oh, we have. I just don’t give a shit.”

Waverly Haught elbows her sister hard in the side, glaring. _“Wynonna!”_

“Whoops. Sorry. I don’t give a _damn_.”

Nicole throws a perfect spiral straight into Wynonna’s chest, then turns to her sister, leaning against the railing of the back deck. “Hayley, I’m sorry my sister-in-law is an idiot.”

Hayley Merritt grins at her seventeen-year-old twins, who are standing behind Nicole, rolling their eyes. “I’m pretty sure they’ve heard worse, sis.”

“Yeah, Aunt Nicole, we’re old enough to know what the ‘f word’ is,” Peter Merritt says with a smirk.

Jenn Merritt eyes their mother warily and grips her brother’s shoulder. “Yeah. It means _‘football’_.”

Nicole snorts loudly. “Sure. Okay. Hayley, did you _intend_ to raise two smart-mouthed brats?”

“Mm. No.” Hayley takes a slow sip of her wine. “They inherited it from their aunt.” The twins both burst into giggles as their mother turns towards the house. “I’m going to go see if Mom, David, and Gus need help.”

Waverly brings the football back to Nicole, kissing her softly on the cheek. “You still good to play, honey?”

“She’s not _running_ ,” Wynonna points out. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

Waverly just raises an eyebrow at her wife.

“I feel okay.” Nicole rubs her hand down her right leg. “It’s not too stiff right now.”

“If you need a break, darling, it’s okay.” Waverly skims her hands up Nicole’s torso before linking them behind Nicole’s neck. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

Nicole shifts awkwardly and presses a quick kiss to Waverly’s lips. “I won’t. I’m alright.” She fidgets with the top button of her shirt and adjusts her sweater vest before setting her grip on the football and throwing it to Peter. “Don’t worry, Ma’am, I’ll take care of myself.” She winks at Waverly, grinning faintly, and Waverly shoves at her shoulder lightly.

“Pain in the ass,” Waverly grumbles.

“Language,” Peter, Jenn, Wynonna, and Nicole all say simultaneously.

 

+++++

 

Nicole walks into the kitchen a bit heavily, sitting down in a chair across from Hayley, who’s slicing blue cheese to put on the salad. “Jenn’s taken over QB duties. I think Peter’s jealous.” She lets out a soft, tired sigh and runs a hand over her face.

“You feeling okay?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Nicole leans back in her chair. “I’m just tired.”

“Here.” Gus shoves a piece of food into Nicole’s mouth. “Try the cornbread.”

“S’gd,” Nicole replies, her voice muffled.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Nicole,” Olivia Haught scolds as she hurries into the kitchen to check the green bean casserole in the oven.

Nicole swallows and pouts. “I’m an adult.”

“Yeah,” Hayley jokes. “She wears a shiny gold band on her finger and has sex and can eat cereal for dinner every night. That’s like the _definition_ of an adult.”

“Shut up, Hayls,” Nicole hisses.

_“Never.”_

Olivia rolls her eyes and meets Gus’s gaze. “Over forty and they still act like they’re fourteen.”

There’s a loud shout outside, and they can hear Wynonna yell, “YOU’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT, HAUGHT!”

Gus shakes her head slowly as she bastes the turkey in the crockpot. “Mine aren’t much better.”

 

+++++

 

“Nicole, can you pass me the corn?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Waverly rolls her eyes and groans. “You’re such a _nerd_.”

Wynonna, still chewing on a piece of a turkey leg, asks, “Okay, what is with the ‘ma’am’ thing?”

“She’s been doing it ever since I was promoted.” Waverly leans in towards Nicole, absentmindedly pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “Jerk said that since I was a boss now, I needed to be treated as such.”

“You were promoted, Waverly?” Hayley asks as she gets up to refill wine.

“Mhm.” Waverly holds her glass out to her. “I’m the Dean of English. Lot of paperwork and red tape, but the title’s nice.”

“That’s awesome. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re the Criminology prof, Nic.” Wynonna squints at her. “How would Waverly be your boss?”

“She’s not,” Nicole says simply. “It’s just more fun this way.”

Hayley’s husband, David, lets out a soft whistle. “It’s a hell of a year for you two. Waverly gets a nice promotion, and it’s your ten-year anniversary next month, isn’t it?”

Nicole nods. “I’m not sure how she’s put up with me that long,” she jokes.

Waverly kisses her again, this time on the cheek. “You have a certain appeal, darling.”

“It’s also three years since…” Olivia breaks off as her voice cracks and she shoots a glance at one of the three empty seats set up at the end of the table.

Hayley briefly squeezes her mother’s shoulder. Nicole, her eyes glassy, whispers, “I know, Mom.” She raises her wine slowly. “To Dad.”

 

+++++

 

Once they finish eating their apple pie and ice cream, they move into the living room, and Waverly carefully sits in Nicole’s lap, setting all of her weight on her good leg. “We should go home soon,” she murmurs, brushing her fingers through the hair on the back of Nicole’s neck.

“In a bit. Is that okay?”

“Yeah. I just need to get home in about an hour.”

“That’s fine.” Nicole kisses the corner of Waverly’s mouth softly. “Everything alright?”

“Of course.”

“Nic,” Hayley says as she walks into the room. “Grandpa’s on the phone. It’s your turn.”

“Okay.” Nicole extracts herself from underneath her wife and makes her way into her father’s old office, where she sits down and picks up the phone. “Hey.”

_“Nicky? That you?”_

“Hi, Grandpa.”

_“Well, hi there. How’s that girlfriend of yours?”_

Nicole winces slightly. “Waverly’s my wife, Grandpa, remember?”

_“Oh. That’s wonderful, Nicky. I’ll have to send you a card.”_

“Y-Yeah. Uhm. That’s alright, Grandpa, we don’t need one.”

_“Nonsense. How was your dinner?”_

“Great, as always. You know how well Hayley picked up Grandma’s pie crust recipe.”

_“Good girl; good girl. Look, kiddo, I have to get going soon. Can you pass the phone off to your dad?”_

Nicole swallows, her stomach plummeting to her feet. “U-Uhm. How about I hand you over to Mom instead?”

_“That’s fine. I’ll talk to you later. Love you, Nicky.”_

“Love you too, Grandpa.”

She passes the phone off quickly, shooting her mother a guilty look before bolting back into the living room. She rubs at her mouth and mumbles, “We should head out, Waves.”

“Okay,” Waverly says softly. “Are you alright, baby?”

“Yeah,” Nicole whispers. “Sure.”

 

+++++

 

“God _dammit_ ,” Nicole hisses as they walk into their house. She limps into the kitchen and pulls out a container of ibuprofen, tossing two into her mouth and downing half of a bottle of water that she pulls from the fridge.

“Honey,” Waverly whispers. “Talk to me. Please? You were getting better.” She hesitates. “Not better, just… It wasn’t hurting you as bad.”

“I just don’t know how to manage it without…” Nicole shrugs and grips the counter.

Waverly, her eyes soft, reaches out and pulls Nicole by the hand. She leads her into the living room and sits on the couch, having Nicole lie down with her legs in Waverly’s lap. “You miss Hawk,” she murmurs, idly massaging Nicole’s right leg.

“And Yorick,” Nicole says softly. “But... Hawk was…”

“He was your boy.”

“Yeah. He kept the ghosts away.”

Waverly lifts Nicole’s hand and kisses her knuckles. “All you need to do is ask, darling. I’ll help you get rid of them.”

“I know. It’s just not always that easy.”

“That’s okay.” Waverly slips her fingers under Nicole’s jeans, gently brushing against her skin. After a moment, she murmurs, “Do you think we made the right decision?”

“Hm?”

“To not have kids.”

“I think so.” Nicole tugs Waverly forward and settles her on top of her. “The time was never right. And, I think, we’ve been very happy. Just us and the pups.” She hesitates. “Have you been happy, Waverly?”

Waverly kisses her, long and slow. “I’d be happy no matter what as long as I’m with you.” She nips playfully at Nicole’s lower lip. “I’m _thankful_ for you, Professor Haught.”

Nicole grins and skims her hand over Waverly’s back. “I’m thankful for you, too, Dean Haught.”

“We should go to bed,” Waverly says, laying her head on Nicole’s collarbone and closing her eyes.

“M’fine here,” Nicole mumbles in response.

“Nic…”

“Shhhh.” Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly and holds her close.

“Well, okay, guess we’re staying here.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Waverly tilts up to press a kiss under Nicole’s jaw before settling against her wife and closing her eyes.

 

+++++

 

Nicole groans loudly and covers her face with her hands briefly before tossing her PlayStation 7 controller aside into the couch cushion. “Why am I so bad at video games?”

“You aren’t. You’ll pick that back up in an hour and do that level flawlessly.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nicole stretches and rests her head back on the couch. “You’ve been awful quiet this morning.”

“I went out for a bit. Needed to collect something I had on order.”

“Anything interesting?”

Waverly leans against the back of the couch. “It’s an anniversary present for you.”

Nicole blinks and frowns. “Our anniversary is next month.”

“I know. But I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and it feels like the right time.” Waverly grips Nicole’s shoulders and leans down, kissing the top of her head. “Come with me?”

“Oh god,” Nicole says dryly as she lets Waverly tug her to her feet. “It’s murder. You brought a murder weapon.”

“Don’t be dramatic.”

“It’s the only way I know to be.”

Waverly takes Nicole’s hand and shakes her head. “I’m not really surprised.”

She leads her to the garage door, where they can hear a faint squeaking sound. “What… did you do?” Nicole asks slowly.

“Got you a present.” Waverly pushes the door open, revealing a crate sitting on the garage floor, a small bluetick hound puppy inside staring at them and wagging his tail.

“Hi there, little guy,” Nicole says, walking over and carefully crouching down to open the crate. The puppy bounds out and into her lap, his paws up on her chest as his snuffles as her neck. “What’s your name?”

“That’s for you to decide.”

Nicole looks up at her, eyes bright. “He’s mine?”

Waverly grins slowly. “Yes, baby. He’s yours.”

“You didn’t have to do this,” she whispers as her fingers brush across the puppy’s head.

“I’m allowed to _want_ to do things, you know.” Waverly sits down on the floor next to Nicole and kisses her cheek. “We’re _happy_. But we were even happier when it wasn’t just the two of us in an otherwise empty house.” She pulls the puppy into her lap and hugs him gently. “That’s where this guy comes into play.”

“Falcon,” Nicole says suddenly. “His name is Falcon.”

“I like that name.”

Nicole sits down, idly stroking her hand down Falcon’s back. “Happy anniversary, Waverly Haught.”

Waverly laughs softly and leans over to kiss her. “Happy Thanksgiving, Nicole Haught.”


End file.
